The NWSL Challenge Cup’s preliminary rounds wrapped up on Monday night, setting seeding for knockout play at the tournament in Utah. With the quarterfinals kicking off at 12:30 p.m. ET Friday — watch Racing Louisville FC’s future league on CBS All Access — here are four takeaways from the event so far.
North Carolina Courage is still the team to beat
With back-to-back league championships entering 2020 and most of last season’s squad in place, the Courage are looking to add more hardware to their collection.
North Carolina won all four of its preliminary round matches and had the top seed for knockout play locked up after a 3-0 start. The Courage have conceded only one goal so far, posting a trio of clean sheets.
Last time out, United States Women’s National Team stars Sam Mewis and Crystal Dunn scored in a 2-0 victory over Sky Blue FC. Next up, the team to beat faces a win-or-go-home scenario Friday against the Portland Thorns.
To boot, the veteran striker Lynn Williams has remained in form, leading all Challenge Cup scorers with three goals to go with one assist.
It’s otherwise wide open
The Portland Thorns and the Chicago Red Stars were considered two top teams aside from the Courage, and yet the Thorns are winless while the Red Stars needed a late game winner last time to collect a trio of points.
Meanwhile, the Houston Dash made a splash in their first two games before being defeated by Sky Blue FC, an underdog of the tournament.
Tournament rules state that if a game is tied in the knockout rounds, it will go straight to penalty kicks to determine a winner with no extra time. This opens the door to the possibility of even more parity, especially with a team like the Thorns knocking on the door, ranking second in shots taken behind only the Courage.
Quality of play remains high
Entering the Challenge Cup, NWSL players had started preseason, stopped preseason and then restarted training due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Those factors alone could have harmed the quality of play at the beginning of the tournament, but that has largely not been the case.
Aside from North Carolina’s dominance, games have gone down to the wire as the world’s best women’s players deal with high altitude in Utah, playing in heat on the turf and the mental aspect of living locked down within the NWSL village.
As a safety precaution, some of the league’s household names are sitting out the Challenge Cup. Still, NWSL clubs have totaled five draws and nine goals scored after the 70th minute of a competitive event.
These rookies are off to a flying start
When this year’s draft class heard their names called back in January, no one could have expected how the 2020 season would unfold — a 24-game regular season rearranged into the Challenge Cup after the COVID-19 pandemic put play on pause.
The five-sub format and quick turnaround time between games has made resting veterans important and opened up playing time for a number of younger players.
Note a player such as Ashley Sanchez for the Washington Spirit. The former UCLA standout has an assist to show for her skills on the ball that have made the forward a fit in the Spirit attack.
Illinois State product Kate Del Fava has transitioned to outside back for the Utah Royals and helped cement a three-back system. Also for the Royals, Tziarra King, who’s out of North Carolina State, made an instant impact by scoring a goal after being subbed into her first professional game.
Also of note, Addisyn Merrick has stepped up in her right-back role for the North Carolina Courage, having appeared in three matches so far for the No. 1-seeded side.
